For all the chatter--mostly from Republicans--that President Barack Obama's Dec. 4 visit to the Lehigh Valley was designed in part to boost Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan's 15th District Congressional campaign against incumbent Republican Charlie Dent, it didn't exactly turn out that way.

The closest the president got to Bethlehem was when he landed at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Then he fumbled his one mention of Callahan at Lehigh Carbon Community College, briefly confusing him with Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Some boost.

And now this: a far-right blogger namedCitizen Wells and some other right wing websiteslike breitbart.tv are suggesting Obama surreptitiously flipped Callahan the bird to boot. No, really.

Here's the transcript of Obama's flub, which the National Republican Congressional Committee jumped all over yesterday, calling it a "Biden moment":

"We've got Ed Pawlowski, mayor of Allentown -- (applause) -- maybe the next member of Congress. We've got John Callahan, mayor of Bethlehem. (Applause.) I just want to clarify here -- Ed is not running, John is running. I got those reversed. So don't vote for Ed because he's -- (laughter) -- I mean, vote for him for mayor. (Laughter.) John is going to be outstanding."

Right when Obama mentions Callahan, he scratches his head with his middle finger, hence the right wing bloggers' theory. Now, when I was in middle school, we used to chortle--Beavis and Butthead style--every time our high school geometry teacher pointed to the blackboard with his middle finger, but I never thought he was secretly flipping us off. Call me naive, but I figured he was just oblivious.

Citizen Wells claims its part of a trend on his blog. His theory: Callahan endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary last year, and even donated $250 to her campaign. True. But just about every Democratic official in the state joined the very persuasive Gov. Ed Rendell on the Clinton team last March and April. That includes Pawlowski, who got to lunch with Obama at Allentown's Hamilton Family Restaurant Friday.

In his blog, Wells uses video clips to suggest Obama also "flipped off" John McCain and Clinton by scratching his head with his middle finger. Then again, that might just be evidence that Obama tends to use his middle finger to scratch his head.

Consider the source disclaimer: Wells also calls Obama "the usurper," and subscribes to the widely discredited idea that he wasn't actually born in the U.S.

Current Comments

I think there is a motive in most of Obama's public moves... I think he "flipped him off"...
and that includes flipping off McCain & Clinton.
Obama is an arrogant self-centered man. It is his way or the highway. He is hell-bent on pushing his agenda and ruining America and he has no respect for anyone except his Progressive cronies.

Posted By: Doris | Dec 8, 2009 6:56:54 AM

You must have him confused with "This would be easier if it were a dictatorship, as long as I'm the dictator" GWB.

Posted By: Robert | Dec 10, 2009 11:13:54 AM

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